Summary Ten

Ellis Island holds history that is important to immigrants and Americans alike. People come from all parts of the world to visit. Back in the 1900’s a proposal was mad to build a bridge connecting Ellis Island and Liberty State Park located in New Jersey. The views of those deemed important and influential were the first to be consulted about the project. In Chapter four, “The Ellis Island Bridge Proposal,” the views of the people that were considered truly important was recorded.

The people that were determined to be truly important were people that the bridge would affect for example vendors, the poor, and so forth. There were a wide range of opinions and trends. Pushcart vendors for example had a positive outlook on the creation of the bride. “The Bridge is good-more people will go to it-this means more customers and more business. It’s a good thing.” [pg.79] This is the main reason vendors in Battery Park were pro bridge. On the other hand, street performers didn’t like the idea of the bridge because they were afraid that it would reduce the amount of tourist thus hurting their career. Others were afraid that the free access would result in vandalism of all sorts. Not only were the people in the parks interviewed but the people living close to Liberty State Park. The opinions of those within the neighborhoods varied. For example in Paulus Hook, one person stated, “I like the ferry because I can see the island better.”[pg. 93] They didn’t particularly care for the bridge. In Van Worst and Lafayette most of the people were for the bridge and had positive outlooks on the creation. “It would help poor people take their children.” [pg. 95] The fact that the poor would have access is the biggest positive of the project.

When creating something there are always negatives and positives. Some people will hate it and some won’t. It is a proven fact that not everyone can be pleased. It would have been nice if the bridge was built and it remained free. The poor should have opportunities to visit Ellis Island too.

Summary Nine

                There are many things that a person can do when visiting a park. Research has been conducted to determine the different uses of the park and its connection to ethnicity. Each race uses the park in different ways yet there are connections between some activities. In Chapter 3, “Prospect Park” the different ways specific ethnicities use the park.

                There are many reasons people come to the park, a few examples are sports, socializing, stress relief and so forth. However, there are certain things that certain ethnicities prefer to do when visiting the park. “The park is a site of cultural self-expression for certain groups, including African/West Indian drumming and dancing.’ [pg. 49] This is just one example of how a certain race uses the park. Hispanics use the park to connect socially with their families or peers. They do this by picnicking and cooking. White people visited the park to walk their dogs and exercise. “Characteristic activities like walking, exercising, watching the ducks and visiting the playground are well distributed among the different constituencies.” [pg. 48] Even though people of different races come to the park for many different reasons, there are still reasons that pertain to all races despite class.

                When reading this article, I found a lot of things to be true. Whenever I visit the park, it is to socialize with my family or Church members. We have picnics and games. My family has also hosted a birthday party for my father in the park. There are a lot of trends shared between people of color that are not shared with Caucasians.  

Summary Eight

“Urban Parks”

Those with little knowledge would assume that a park is just a park. There are no characteristics that differentiate one from the next. The stereotypical assumption about what defines a park is trees and grass, nothing more or nothing less. In the second article “Urban Parks” characteristics of different types of parks are listed.

                The first type of park mentioned is Landscape. “Typically much larger squares and commons, they were designed as refuges from the city.” [pg.20] This is just one example of a characteristic that defines a Landscape park. A very famous and actual example of one is Central Park. Another good example that provides a list of characteristics is Prospect Park, it is considered to be one of the best examples of a Landscape Park. It consists of 526 acres and includes pastures, woods, gathering places, surface waters, and footpaths.

                In Landscape parks, the goal was to provide visitors contact with nature. The goal of Recreation Facility Parks was to “bring the benefits of wholesome recreation t urban people, especially children.” [pg. 26] There were many ways that Recreation Facility Parks could go about achieving their goals. One of the easiest ways was by creating playgrounds; another trend was creating swimming pools and beachside parks. An example of a beachside park is Orchard Beach located within Pelham Bay Park.

                The main purpose of the chapter was to tell the history of different parks and how they developed over the years. However, I found the characteristics of what defined various parks to be very interesting. There was strives made in America to make parks attractive and fun for the community. Many people would just assume that all parks are the same, but that’s not true. They are probably not aware the effort made by certain individuals in the planning of a park.